This 14 Days Rwanda and Uganda Gorillas, Wildlife, Primates Safari offers a magnificent journey to some of the most popular visitor locations in these two countries. After being picked up in Kigali, you can begin your safari by traveling to Nyungwe National Park, where you can stroll along the canopy pathway and observe Black and White Colobus Monkeys. Along with visiting Lake Kivu in Gisenyi town, tracking golden monkeys in Volcanoes National Park, touring Ibyiwacu Village, trekking mountain gorillas in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, tracking lions in Queen Elizabeth National Park, and taking a boat ride on Kazinga Channel, you’ll also get to experience the other attractions listed below.
You will also go chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park, take a boat tour and go on a wildlife drive in Murchison Falls National Park, and go white rhino trekking in Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary during the 14-day Rwanda and Uganda safari. Drop-off locations in Uganda include Kampala and Entebbe International Airport.
Highlights for 14 Days Rwanda and Uganda Gorillas, Wildlife, Primates Safari
Day 1: Pickup in Kigali and Transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park.
Day 2: Colobus Monkey Trekking and Canopy Walk.
Day 3: Transfer to Gisenyi- Evening Boat Cruise on Lake Kivu
Day 4: Optional Coffee Tour & Transfer to Volcanoes National Park and Ibyiwacu Village Tour.
Day 5: Golden Monkey Trek and Optional Visit to Karisoke Centre
Day 6: Drive to Bwindi
Day 7: Gorilla Trek in Bwindi and Optional Batwa Cultural Tour
Day 8: Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park & Evening Game Drive
Day 9: Lion Tracking Experience/ Morning Game Drive & Afternoon Boat Cruise
Day 10: Drive to Kibale National Park and Optional Bigodi Swamp Walk
Day 11: Chimpanzee Trek
Day 12: Drive to Murchison Falls National Park and Drive to Top of the Falls
Day 13: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise
Day 14: Rhino Trekking at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and Drive to Kampala.
Detailed Itinerary for 14 Days Rwanda and Uganda Gorillas, Wildlife, Primates Safari
Day 1: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park.
Your driver will collect you up at your Kigali hotel in the morning and take you south to Nyungwe Forest National Park. While en route to the king’s palace in Nyanza and the national museum of Rwanda, you will make a pit break in Butare. Dinner and accommodation are provided at Gisakura Visitor Center (on a budget). (Mid-Luxury).
Day 2: Colobus Monkey Trekking and Canopy Walk.
Early in the morning, eat breakfast and then meet your driver guidance. After that, you will travel to the park’s administrative center to receive your pre-tour briefing. Depending on where they are, trekking can last anywhere from four to six hours, starting at eight in the morning. Following your trek with the colobus monkeys, you will travel back to your lodge for a hot lunch and then relax for a while.
After lunch, you will go on a guided nature stroll along the 50-meter-long swing bridge known as the canopy walkway bridge, which is suspended from big trees. After viewing the magnificent rainforest from above and spotting wildlife moving about below you, you will connect to your lodging and spend the remainder of the evening at your leisure. This trek only lasts two hours. Return to your hotel or lodge for supper and overnight as usual.Budget Gisakura Visitor Center/Hotel Nyungwe Top Hill View (Mid-Luxury)
Day 3: Transfer to Gisenyi- Evening Boat Cruise on Lake Kivu
Following breakfast at the hotel, you will travel to Gisenyi, where you will arrive in time for lunch. Later, you will take a boat excursion on Lake Kivu in the evening. Later, return to your lodge for supper and an overnight stay at the Kivu Serena Hotel, Paradise Malahide, or Gorilla Kivu Lodge, depending on your budget. (Luxury).
Day 4: Optional Coffee Tour & Transfer to Volcanoes National Park and Ibyiwacu Village Tour.
You will meet your guide and travel to Volcanoes national park in the morning after breakfast. You can take a coffee excursion that is optional and visits the Kinunu washing station in Gisenyi. You can sample some coffee produced in Rwanda by taking a walk of the plantations and processing facility. As you travel through the countryside, take in the stunning vistas. You’ll arrive at Volcanoes National Park in the afternoon in time for lunch.
A cultural trip will take you to Ibyiwacu village, also known as “The Gorilla Guardians Village,” where you can meet the locals and take in dance and singing performances by the dance group. Other optional activities include viewing the Elle DeGeneres Campus for the Dian Fossey Fund, where you will be given a tour of the campus’s facilities, including the classrooms, labs, and exhibition hall, if you still want to learn more. Dinner and a night’s lodging at one of the following hotels: Muhabura Hotel (budget), Tiloreza Eco Lodge (midrange), or Virunga Resort Inn & Spa Hotel.(Luxury).
Optional activities include visiting the Elle DeGeneres Campus and taking a coffee tour at Kinunu Washing Station.
Day 5: Golden Monkey Trek and Optional Visit to Karisoke Centre
On the sixth day of your 14 Days Rwanda and Uganda Gorillas, Wildlife, Primates Safari, you will go golden monkey hunting after breakfast. In the Virunga forest, this exercise also takes about two to three hours. Later, return to your lodge for a leisurely early lunch before continuing with your nighttime plans.
This is a fantastic and thrilling time. There are numerous chimpanzees and other primates, including monkeys, birds, and more, along the path. Return to the lodge for lunch, and in the late afternoon, you have the option of making a trip to the Karisoke research facility, where you can see the graves of the late American primatologist Diane Fossey and the Dian Fossey Museum. Diane Fossey was murdered for trying to save these endangered mountain gorillas. Return to Tiloreza Volcanoes Eco Lodge (Midrange), Muhabura Hotel (Budget), or Virunga Resort Inn & Spa Hotel for supper and an overnight stay. (Luxury)
Day 6: Drive to Bwindi
Then, meet your driver guidance after breakfast at your hotel. From Ruhengeri, you will set out on a five-hour journey to Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Lunch should be consumed while traveling, with a short stop to capture some of the stunning scenery on camera. Arrive in Bwindi in the late afternoon and spend the night at your lodge before supper. Budget-friendly Buhoma Community Rest Camp, mid-range Buhoma Haven Lodge, and upscale Mahogany Springs Lodge (Luxury)
Day 7: Gorilla Trek in Bwindi and Optional Batwa Cultural Tour
You will leave with your lunch packed after an early-morning breakfast, go to the park headquarters for a briefing, and then travel into the jungle to go gorilla trekking! Your kid can spend that time relaxing at the hotel or touring the area with a guide. According to the gorillas’ movements, gorilla trekking can last for an hour or up to four hours.
After seeing the gorillas, you have the choice of relaxing and reflecting on the trek or taking an optional trek to one of the nearby Batwa communities. As mentioned above, you can have dinner and spend the night at Mahogany Springs Lodge (Luxury), Buhoma Haven Lodge (Midrange), or Buhoma Community Rest Camp (Budget).
Day 8: Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park & Evening Game Drive
After breakfast at your camp on the eighth day of your 14 Days Rwanda and Uganda Gorillas, Wildlife, Primates Safari, you’ll meet your driver-guide and head to Queen Elizabeth National Park, stopping for lunch along the way. Check into your lodge after arriving in the area late in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight accommodation at Elephant Plains Lodge, Pumba Safari Cottages, or Elephant Hub, depending on your budget. (Luxury)
Day 9: Lion Tracking Experience/ Morning Game Drive & Afternoon Boat Cruise
Following breakfast, you’ll leave for an early-morning game drive or lion tracking adventure where you’ll follow lions in the park with a team of knowledgeable researchers and a park ranger. Depending on where the lions are, this action lasts between one and four hours. A brief wildlife drive will also be enjoyed by you, giving you the opportunity to see other animals like buffalo, elephants, waterbuck, Uganda Kob, and various antelope species. Afterward, return for lunch.
Afternoon: Take a 3-hour launch cruise into Lake Edward along the Kazinga Channel. This cruise will allow you to travel through an area with the greatest concentration of hippos, and you might also see a lot of animals drinking at the water’s edge. Additionally, the cruise provides an excellent setting for games, birdwatching, and photography.Dinner and nighttime accommodations are available at the aforementioned Pumba Safari Cottages (Budget), Elephant Hub (Midrange), and Elephant Plains Lodge. (Luxury)
Day 10: Drive to Kibale National Park and Optional Bigodi Swamp Walk
After a leisurely breakfast at your hotel, depart for the transport to the western Ugandan national park of Kibale Forest. Make it to your Kibale hotel in time for lunch and check-in.
If you want to go exploring in the late afternoon, you can take an extra trip to Bigodi Swamp. The reserve is home to a variety of animals, including birds, primates, and vegetation, including butterflies. Birders will be particularly interested in spectacular species like the Great Blue Turaco and the endangered Papyrus Gonolek. More elusive creatures like Sitatunga antelope and Red Colobus monkeys can also be found in the wetland. Additionally, there is the chance to go see regional initiatives that have been funded by tourism. Dinner and overnight accommodations at Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse, Isunga Lodge, or Chimpundu Lodge, depending on your price and level of luxury
Day 11: Chimpanzee Trek
After breakfast on the eleventh day of your 14-day trip to Rwanda and Uganda, travel to the Kibale Park headquarters for a briefing on the chimpanzees. Enter the forest and begin your search for chimpanzees in their natural environment. It will likely take you between two and five hours to locate them, and once you do, you are only permitted to observe them for one hour as they swing from branches in the canopy above the forest floor. Spend the morning relaxing before eating lunch at your resort. Dinner and overnight accommodations at Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse, Isunga Lodge, or Chimpundu Lodge, depending on your price and level of luxury
Day 12: Drive to Murchison Falls National Park and Drive to Top of the Falls
Have breakfast early and then meet with your driver guidance. Then, after a roughly six-hour journey through northern Uganda to the Murchison Falls National Park, you’ll stop for lunch. After arriving in Murchison late in the day, settle into your lodging before leaving to see Top of the Falls. View Murchison Falls, the most potent cascade in the world, up close. Back at Parkside Safari Lodge (Budget), Pakuba Safari Lodge (Midrange), or Paara Safari Lodge for supper and an overnight stay. (Luxury)
Day 13: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise
A complete day of wildlife viewing at Murchison; start with an early morning game drive while keeping an eye out for elephant, buffalo, giraffe, antelope, lion, leopard, and jackal. If we’re really lucky, we might come across one of Murchison’s few cheetahs.
You’ll take a boat ride to the foot of the 43-meter-high falls in the afternoon. This is also an excellent chance to see some of Murchison’s 460 bird species, like the goliath heron and the shoebill stork. A particularly dense community of hippos and crocodiles can be found in Africa. As stated above, have dinner and spend the night at Parkside Safari Lodge (budget), Pakuba Safari Lodge (midrange), or Paraa Safari Lodge (luxury).
Day 14: Rhino Trekking at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and Drive to Kampala.
Breakfast at the inn in the morning, then travel to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for rhino trekking, where you’ll get up close and personal with white rhinos. Depending on where the rhinoceros are, rhino trekking can last between one and two hours. In order to have a good experience, particularly considering that the area is bushy, make sure to wear long pants and a good pair of hiking boots.
After your rhino tracking adventure, you will travel back to Kampala or Entebbe while having lunch along the way. Your driver guide will drop you off at a hotel of your choosing or at Entebbe Airport when you arrive in Kampala/Entebbe so that you can catch your overnight flight home.
End of 14 Days Rwanda and Uganda Gorillas, Wildlife, Primates Safari